118 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE BOTANY OF ( Thea. 
cultivated Arum esculentum and Arachis hypogea. On the hills many ferns were found, 
as species of Adiantum, Asplenium, Aspidium, Blechnum, Davallia, Polypodium, Pteris, 
and Woodwardia; an Ilex allied to I. aquifolium, Pinus chinensis, several species of oak 
and the tallow and camphor trees. | 
At Nan-chang-foo the route of the two embassies becomes again united. From the 
24th Nov. to the 18th Dec. Lord Amherst’s embassy proceeded up the river Kan- 
kiang, which flows into the Poyang lake; the banks were chiefly composed of red 
sandstone, resting on granite; when low, cultivated with rice, sugar-cane, bamboo, 
camphor-tree, and a Ficus, much resembling the banyan-tree; and when high, with 
the oil bearing Camellia, or C. oleifera, which was first met with by Dr. Abel shortly 
after leaving Nan-chang-foo, bearing abundance of flowers in November, varying in 
height from six and eight feet to that of a moderate-sized cherry-tree, and flourishing 
best in a red sandy soil; deer, pheasants, and partridges were seen; and a woodcock, 
at Quachow. The sugar-cane was observed ready to be cut down, and great fields 
of wheat were springing up. On the 6th Dec. Pinus chinensis and Cunninghamia sinensis 
were aguin met with; and on the 8th at Seechou, about lat. 26°, the tea-plant was 
found apparently wild; in the neighbourhood of E/gococcus verrucosus (Dryandra 
cordata) and Eugenia microphylla. Beyond this were extensive plantations of Camellia 
oleifera, where Eurya japonica was abundant. 
On the 20th Dec. they crossed the Meiling Mountain, which divides Keangsee from 
Quantung, where groves of fir-trees skirted their way; and a species of Prunus was 
seen in full flower at the top. On descending from this, they entered the province of 
Canton, which at first they found mountainous and barren, but shortly met with groves of 
Pinus chinensis, intermixed with Cunninghamia sinensis. The vegetation on the surface 
of the hills least decomposed, consisted of the species of Lycopodium, which resembles 
a tree in miniature. A few days after passing Chaou-chou-fou, which is situated near 
the 25th parallel of latitude, they found the neighbourhood of their anchorage hilly, 
and very abundant in wild plants. Myrtus tomentosa was of great size, and very 
abundant, Smilax China, famed for its sudorific properties, scarcely less in quantity ; 
with another species, like S. lanceolata. A Begonia, resembling B. grandis, was also 
found growing to the height of twenty feet; and a wild species of Camellia, which 
Dr. Abel considered to be probably a variety of C. oleifera; while the rocky banks 
of some small streams were covered with species of Jarchantia and Jungermannia. 
Two Rhezias of doubtful species grew in the rocks, with several plants of questionable 
genera. (Abel, p. 199.) Plantations of sugar-cane were frequent in this part of their route, 
as well as in the southern portion of the province of Kiang-see. As they approached 
Canton, groves of orange-trees, of bananas, and of the rose-apple, relieved extensive 
fields of rice. A great extent of this province towards the coasts consists of level plains, 
and though so near the tropic, the winters we have seen are severe ; ice is sometimes 
formed, but snow does not fall: owing, however, to the general mildness of the climate, 
and the alternations of hot and cold months, two crops, as in India, are annually 
obtained ; 
